Atacand
Atacand relaxes and widens your blood vessels, which lowers your blood pressure and helps your heart pump blood more easily.
How to Use
Dosage
For adults with high blood pressure, the usual starting dose is 8 mg once daily, which may be increased to 16 mg or 32 mg. For children 6-18 years, the starting dose is 4 mg once daily. For adults with heart failure, the starting dose is 4 mg once daily, which may be doubled every two weeks up to 32 mg.
Method
Swallow the tablet with water. You can take it with or without food. Try to take it at the same time each day to help you remember.
The maximum daily dose for adults is 32 mg once daily. For children under 50 kg, the maximum is 8 mg once daily. For children 50 kg or more, the maximum is 16 mg once daily.
Possible Side Effects
- •Feeling dizzy or lightheaded.
- •Headache.
- •Respiratory infection.
- •Low blood pressure, which can make you feel weak and dizzy.
- •Increased potassium in your blood, especially if you have kidney problems or heart failure. Severe cases may cause tiredness, weakness, irregular heartbeats, or tingling.
- •Changes in kidney function, especially if you have kidney problems or heart failure. In very rare cases, kidney failure may occur.
- •Swelling in the intestines with symptoms like stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
- •Swelling of the face, lips, tongue, and/or throat.
- •Reduction in red or white blood cells. This can make you feel tired, get infections, or have a fever.
- •Rash or itchy lumpy rash (hives).
- •Itching.
- •Back, joint, and muscle pain.
- •Changes in liver function, including liver inflammation (hepatitis). You might feel tired, have yellow skin and eyes, and flu-like symptoms.
- •Nausea.
- •Reduced sodium in your blood. Severe cases may cause weakness, lack of energy, or muscle cramps.
- •Cough.
- •Diarrhea.
Important Warnings
- Stop taking Atacand and seek immediate medical help if you have difficulty breathing, with or without swelling of your face, lips, tongue, and/or throat.
- Stop taking Atacand and seek immediate medical help if you have swelling of your face, lips, tongue, and/or throat, which may make it difficult to swallow.
- Stop taking Atacand and seek immediate medical help if you have a severe itchy skin rash (with raised bumps).
- Do not take Atacand if you are allergic to candesartan cilexetil or any other ingredient in this medicine.
- Do not take Atacand if you are more than 3 months pregnant, as it can seriously harm your baby. Avoid using it during early pregnancy too.
Show 7 more warnings
- Do not take Atacand if you have severe liver disease or problems with bile flow from your gallbladder (gallbladder obstruction).
- Do not give Atacand to children under 1 year old.
- Do not take Atacand if you have diabetes or kidney problems and are being treated with a blood pressure-lowering medicine containing aliskiren.
- Tell your doctor if you are taking other medicines for high blood pressure, especially ACE inhibitors (like enalapril, lisinopril, ramipril), aliskiren, or mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRA) for heart failure. Your doctor may need to adjust your dose or monitor you closely.
- Inform your doctor or dentist that you are taking Atacand if you are going to have surgery, as it can cause a drop in blood pressure with some anesthetics.
- Atacand can make some people feel tired or dizzy. If this happens, do not drive or use tools or machines.
- Atacand contains lactose. If you have been told by your doctor that you have an intolerance to some sugars, discuss this with your doctor before taking this medicine.
Use in Elderly Patients
Suitable for older adults, with specific precautions. Reduce the dose already in mild renal impairment. Monitor renal function and potassium concentrations during the pharmacotherapy. Avoid concurrent use of NSAIDs. (updated 14.4.2025)